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Mr Clegg’s surprise intervention, which came at a reception at Westminster, follows his staunch defence of Charles after the Prince claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin was behaving like Adolf Hitler over the Ukraine.

When the Kremlin angrily claimed the comments ‘don’t befit a future British Monarch’, the Deputy Prime Minister insisted Charles was ‘free to express himself’.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, shaking hands with Prince Charles, has been rounded on by Tory MPs for breaking the taboo on talking about succession to the Throne

A spokesman for Mr Clegg last night said: ‘The Deputy Prime Minister was asked a question at a reception by somebody writing a book about Prince Charles.

‘He cannot remember the exact way he responded, but all he was saying was expressing that it must be a difficult situation to be in on a personal level.’

There were claims that King Juan Carlos had said he was abdicating because he did not want his son to ‘grow old waiting for the throne like Prince Charles’.

According to a report in Spain’s El Mundo newspaper, he had privately told aides: ‘I do not want my son to wither waiting like Prince Charles.’ Last night, a spokesman for Prince Charles declined to comment on Mr Clegg’s remarks.